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How Does Ḥōšeḵ Connect Brown University & Winter?

How Does Ḥōšeḵ Connect Brown University & Winter?

Last updated on: December 21, 2025 at 7:29 pm by Martin Thomas Johnson

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How Does Ḥōšeḵ Connect Brown University & Winter? 2025-12-21T19:29:48-05:00 Martin Thomas Johnson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Late this week, the big news has been about the discovery of the body of the Brown University and MIT shooter in a storage container. As authorities pieced together the tips about the shooter, they easily understood his connection to both schools. While Authorities look for a motive, they need to understand that the darkness inside each of us is enough to do evil.

Image by Wikipedia Commons

According to the shooter’s former classmates at Brown University, he was brilliant and arrogant. His arrogance caused the shooter to use his knowledge for evil, instead of doing good:

Murder
Deception
Pride

Unfortunately, the shooter’s ethnicity led to many racist and hateful comments on social media by so-called conservatives. Many conservatives even began calling for all immigrants and Muslims to be deported, which led to the Trump administration to suspend the green card program and some visas for immigrants wanting to legally come to America.

It’s alarming how many conservatives claim to follow God, yet ignore His basic teachings to love thy neighbor and foreigners (Leviticus 19:18-34, Deuteronomy 10:19, Matthew 22:36-40).

Instead, they want to use politics to pursue power and earthly greatness, just like some of the Israelites who aligned themselves with the Greek invaders before the Maccabean revolt that understood God’s call to be the light in this dark world (Isaiah 49:6, Matthew 5:14).

The Bible is clear that our enemies are not of the flesh, but spiritual rulers in this dark kingdom that many conservatives themselves are fighting to rule (Isaiah 14:12-15, Ephesians 6:12).

What Is Darkness

Darkness, like a light, is both a spiritual and physical phenomenon. Darkness is defined as, “The total or near absence of light: gloomy. The lack of knowledge or enlightenment.”

Image by Pixabay

When I was a little boy, I was afraid of the dark, because I was sure there was a boogie man lurking where I couldn’t see. It is a healthy fear of darkness we innately have.

However, in college, I made friends with the darkness and became a night owl who played in the darkness, although I knew in my heart I was wrong and separated from God.

It took my accident to force me out of the darkness, and now, like the Apostle Paul, I can see better spiritually (Acts 9:8-19; 22:11; 26: 12-18). Sometimes, we have to lose our sight in the natural to see better in the spiritual.

That is why the Bible has a lot to say about darkness and this fallen kingdom (Genesis 1:4, Psalm 82:5, John 1:5, Ephesians 5:8, 1 Thessalonians 5:4). This world is a dark and fallen kingdom because of the sin nature of man and the thirst for earthly greatness (Romans 8:20-22, 1 John 5:19).

Our sinful nature craves the darkness of this world and causes us to walk in darkness (John 3:19-20, Romans 13:12-14, Galatians 5:16-17). That is why, like the Apostle Paul, we each must fight the evil and darkness within us (Romans 7:15-20).

The Apostle Paul warned the early church to resist the darkness and to walk in the light of God instead (Romans 13:12, 2 Corinthians 4:6, Ephesians 5:8-11, Philippians 2:15, Colossians 1:13-14, 1 Thessalonians 5:5). The Apostle Paul remembered his Jewish education about the darkness of this world and how God’s people should avoid it.

Ḥōšeḵ

The prophet Moses tells us that God created the light in the beginning and separated it from the darkness, then He called the light good (Genesis 1:3-4;14-18). We learn that after sin entered the creation, the lamb became evil and dark (Genesis 3:17-19; 6:11-12).

The Hebrew word in the Old Testament for darkness is ḥōšeḵ, and it can also mean “Dark, obscurity, night, destruction, or misery,” depending upon the context it is used in. The understanding is that darkness is both physically and spiritually negative and evil.

The known world rejected God and His light to pursue their evil desires and earthly greatness, even God’s people whom He set apart from it to be the light did also (Leviticus 11:44-45, Deuteronomy 32:16-18, Judges 2:11-13, 2 Kings 17:13-17, Psalm 81:11-12, Isaiah 65:2-3, Ezekiel 20:21).

This is why Judaism rejects the ways of this dark kingdom and causes God’s people to be the light by avoiding the dangers of the darkness:

Evil
Chaos
Desolation
Spiritual blindness
Fear

It’s no wonder the New Testament begins with the Messiah coming to the world to bring light and hope (Matthew 4:16, Luke 2:10-11, John 1:4-9). The birth of Jesus was announced with the Christmas star as God once again sent light into the darkness and separated it good from evil (Matthew 2:1-10, Luke 2:8-14).

Image by Pixabay

Our Lord admitted that He was here in the beginning when God first created the light and separated it from the darkness (John 1:1-5; 17:5). The book of Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would bring light back into this fallen world (Isaiah 9:2; 60:1-3).

Jesus warned His followers not to use their position and power like their Jewish forefathers and the evil rulers of this world to lord over others (Matthew 20:25-28). He is our only hope of overcoming the darkness of this corrupt kingdom (John 8:12; 16:33).

The Winter Solstice

As I write this, the winter solstice is occurring in the northern hemisphere to mark the beginning of winter. That makes today the shortest and darkest day of the year. From now until the summer solstice in June, the days will get longer and add a few minutes of light to each day to chase the gloom and darkness away.

Science has revealed some interesting facts about the effects of people born on or after the winter solstice: natural early birds, stronger immune systems, and longer life expectancy.

I mention this because no one knows exactly when Jesus was born, but the early church celebrated it around the time of the winter solstice to make it more appealing to pagan religions that also celebrate the winter solstice.

For people like me who suffer from seasonal affective disorder, we look forward to the winter solstice for many reasons:

Hope
More light
Renewal
Energy
Focus

It appears the old cliché is true: it is always darkest before the dawn. We’ve each experienced the relief and pleasure we feel after we make it through dark and difficult times. The darkness isn’t meant to overcome us, but to prepare us for the good things to come.

Image created by Martin Thomas Johnson using Canva

God doesn’t promise to spare us from dark and hard times in life, but to see us through them (Psalm 23:4-6, Isaiah 41:10, Matthew 28:20). God didn’t help His people avoid the exiles or the persecution of the early church, but He brought them through the darkness of those days. Despite what many conservatives believe, our only hope is God, not government control or politicians who only rule in the ḥōšeḵ!

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